


Where the Devil Don't Stay

by oleanderflowers



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Church has telekinetic/technology powers, F/F, F/M, Felix and Locus are supernatural beings i guess, Felix is going to fuck some shit up, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Supernatural/horror AU, i'm scaring myself by writing this, it's scary at times but I keep accidentally incorporating humor, lots of stuff explained through flashbacks, some gore and stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2020-07-20 15:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oleanderflowers/pseuds/oleanderflowers
Summary: Ever since escaping from the Mother of Invention Labs, Church and Tex have finally found somewhere to call home.All it takes is an innocent accident, two supernatural beings sought on destruction, and memories from the past to mess things up.





	1. Faraway

For all of her life, everyone would tell Texas that she’s a “stubborn woman”. This statement is 100% true. She knows she is a badass and she’s proud of it. However, she usually finds herself stuck in the past nowadays, and in a matter of seconds she could be thrown back into the dangerous memories that gather in the darker part of her mind. The memories of time at the Mother of Invention Labs.

When Tex had first begun her job at the Labs, she wasn’t entirely sure as to what she was getting herself into. Of course, she had known the founder — Dr. Leonard Church — and had a slight idea about her connection to the laboratory. But besides for that, she was practically walking in blind. 

It was there that she met Leonard L. Church Jr, the son of the Director, and his sister Carolina. By then, the workers had included York, the twins, Wyoming, Florida, Connecticut, and many others. The youngest worker (and newest besides Tex) was David Washington, who seemed to be a cryptic mess of emotions. He was the kid who tried to skateboard down the hallways and tell everyone about his cats. That was until the “incident”.

At first, Tex and the others were informed they were doing things for the greater good. Testing, trying to find cures, keeping the existence of supernatural creatures secret. However, after becoming the Director’s “favorite”, Tex quickly moved up the ranks and found herself in more of the advanced studies.

In other words, she found out that the Director was experimenting on children. Including one of his own. He was creating superhumans, sentient robots, anything he could. He called it “Project Freelancer” and kept it secret from most. Only Tex and Maine were the only workers who knew about it.

Leonard Church Jr, codename Alpha, became the first successful superhuman. He went through the testing, which left him with telekenesis powers and a fuck ton of trauma.

So much happened from there. North, Maine, C.T… 

Tex doesn’t want to think about it.

She and her partner in crime, York, had left the MOI Labs with Church, leaving the Director and everyone they knew behind. It wasn’t easy, though most people they knew were either dead or MIA. Fortunately, Church had some friends he could stay with. Unfortunately, those friends are idiots.

Lavernius Tucker and Michael J. Caboose hadn’t been very surprised when their friend and his crazy bitch coworker showed up one day, asking for a place to stay. They also weren’t surprised about the whole “Church has telekinesis powers because his asshole father decided to experiment on him” idea. Even Tucker’s four-year-old kid, Junior, didn’t question it. He just thinks it’s really cool.

Tex, York, and Church told Tucker and Caboose about what happened at the Labs when they first got there. York then bade his farewells, insisting that he needed to track down Carolina, who had become MIA before he left.

After the five moved in to a relatively decent house on Blood Gulch Avenue, Tex and Church decided to leave Project Freelancer and the Labs completely behind. Even if it meant that Church didn’t know if his sister was still alive. 

Tex wasn’t entirely sure if the Director would send people after her and Church like he had at first. Luckily, no one seemed to be able to find them. 

It wasn’t long before things started to become normal. Tex was introduced to their across-the-street neighbors who referred to themselves as “Red Team”. This rivalry of colors had been started by an older man named Sarge who owned a mechanics shop with Lopez, an interesting man who only spoke Spanish. 

Franklin Delano Donut lived adjacent to Sarge’s mechanic shop with his boyfriend Doc, who helped out at the local hospital. On the other side lived Grif and Simmons, who according to Tucker are “totally dating but they won’t admit it”. 

All is well in the neighborhood of Chorus. Of course, life has to throw another downhill slide towards Tex. She was reading the newspaper one day when her eyes fell upon the obituaries. A familiar face grinned up at her from one the pictures. York. 

The obituary stated that York died in a car accident a few days ago at the age of 33. Tex sighed and showed the newspaper to Church. She hoped Carolina knew, if she was alive. It had been months since they’d seen Church’s redheaded sister or anyone else from the Labs.

Carolina had always been close with York, and the two were even possibly involved romantically with each other. Well, York was. He always joked with Tex, telling her that if he flirted with Carolina she would probably take out his good eye.

Noticing the sorrowful expressions on Tex and Church’s faces and having a slight idea who York was, Tucker had decided everyone needed a fun trip out to nature. He piled everyone into Tex’s truck with him, Caboose, and Junior squished in the backseat while Tex and Church sat up front.

“Where are we going?” Tex asks as she starts the truck engine and pulls out of the driveway, now fully focused on the present..

“A place we visit a lot. It’s a really nice place not too far away. Just follow my directions,” Tucker replies. 

“Oh, are we going to the water place? I love the water place!” Caboose exclaims, grinning.

The “water place” turns out to be a trail called Armonia General Pathway. Tex parks her truck in the empty parking lot across the road and notices that the trail is closed. Upon further inspection, it’s barricaded with a sign that reads, “This trail is closed due to dangerous walking conditions and trail repair. For your safety, please do not enter.”.

Tucker and Junior simply go around the barricades and are followed by Caboose. “Come on, it’s been closed for the past year. We’ve gone plenty of times and it’s fine,” Tucker reassures as Tex and Church join them.

The walk through the woods isn’t too long; just a quick hike alongside a creek. The sound of running water reaches Tex’s ears and the five soon find themselves at a place where the creek widens into a river, surrounded by trees.

Tucker strips off his shirt and promptly takes a running jump into the river. He goes under and resurfaces, smiling. Junior joins him, leaping into his father’s arms and laughing as Tucker dunks him underwater. 

Caboose picks up Church and wades into the water, not caring that both their clothes are now completely soaked. Tex takes off her leather jacket and places it on the bank before jumping into the water. Between Church’s angry stuttering and Tucker’s laughter, Tex finds that she’s enjoying herself.

They swim for a few hours before drying off and embarking on the hike back to the truck. About halfway back, Junior comes up with the idea that he wanted to explore off the path for any “super-secret secrets”. They comply and begin to make their way through the woods.

“Dad! I found somethin’!” Junior exclaims from where he had run off ahead, his voice filled with excitement.

“What is it?” Tucker inquires as he and the others catch up with his son. Junior stands amongst the undergrowth, pointing excitedly at what appears to be a metal hatch in the ground. The hatch is old, rusted, and covered with leaves.

Tex approaches it first and leans down to wipe the leaves and dirt away. Junior crouches down next to her and begins reading what the metal engravings on the hatch states.

“It says… ‘Property of’…” Junior’s voice trails off, as the rest of the words are too worn away to be readable. Junior returns his attention to the others, his eyes bright. “I wanna open it. Maybe it’s a secret alien hideout!”

Tex shares a collective look with the others. Caboose seems on board with the idea, and eventually Church speaks up after Tucker shrugs. “Sure, why the fuck not.”

Despite their strength, Tex and Caboose can’t open the hatch, even if they try together. “Hey Church, can you see if you can, y’know, use your power?” Tucker asks.

“What am I, your servant? My power will only work if it has something to do with electricity or some shit. No one ever explained anything to me,” Church rants, but once Caboose and Junior look at him with the biggest puppy eyes ever, he sighs. He walks closer to the hatch and focused on it, holding out his hand. He closed his eyes and let his powers coarse through his veins, finding the locks and the… wires? Church didn’t think that was right, but he pushed further in his mind. The hatch popped open with a groan of metal and a snap, revealing a mess of wires still sparking with electricity.

“Well, I guess it was electricity. That’s weird.”

Junior cheers and crawls closer to the edge of the hatch. He peers into the darkness, making sure to not get too close to the wires. Tex goes to join him but is interrupted by the click of a gun and a familiar voice. Two things she hasn’t heard in awhile and would like to never hear again.

“I hope you five know that you’re trespassing on Mother of Invention Labs land,” someone says from behind them. Tex whips around to find herself face to face with one armed David Washington.

“Washington?!” Church exclaims, his eyes widening in surprise. Wash looks just as shocked to see Church and Tex, but the grip on his gun is a little too steady for comfort.

Tex freezes, her hands clenching into fists. She can’t believe this is MOI Labs land. Of course Washington has to be here, of all people. She fixes him with an enraged glare, memories threaten to flood her brain again.

“Alpha? Texas?” The blond man’s voice is full of disbelief for a moment before he regains himself. “I guess the Director will be glad I found his son and his ‘favorite’,” Washington spits, and Church looks even more bewildered. He had been friends with Washington once upon a time, after all. 

“Dude, what the fuck? We were just hanging out here! I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you have no right to point a fucking gun at us!” Tucker yells from where he stands, Junior safely behind him. Washington’s eyes soften for a second when he looks at Junior.

“Yeah, stupid Tucker is right! You aren’t being very nice.” Caboose positions himself in front of Church and frowns at Washington. Tucker and Caboose had heard the stories of the Labs, and they share almost the same level of hatred for them as Church does.

“Listen, I’m just following orders. I’m reporting this to the Director, and you two,” Wash motions towards Tex and Church, “are coming with me.”

“Fuck this. We’re leaving,” Church states, clenching his jaw. He whips around and begins stomping away, holding his hand out to Junior to lead the child away.

“Wait! You can’t just leave!” Washington obviously hadn’t been expecting this, and for a moment Tex is reminded of the person he used to be. He then goes to follow Church, lowering the gun slightly, but is blocked by Caboose. Tex knows Wash enough (well, she thinks she knows him) to suspect he won’t shoot. Even if he isn’t the same as he was when she first met him.

Tex marches right up to Wash and stares him down. “You listen to me, David. We left for a reason. You can go tell the fucking Director that you found us, but if anyone comes after us, they won’t be coming back. I’m fucking serious, cockbite.” 

Washington’s cold grey eyes stare back at her. “I’m just following orders,” he repeats. There are bags under his eyes and a hollowness to his cheeks that can’t be healthy.

Tex shoves him, hitting her palms against his shoulders, before turning away to follow Church, Tucker, and Junior. “Come on, Caboose.”

As fast as possible, the five leave Washington behind and pack back into Tex’s truck. As soon as they pull back on the road with a screech of gravel, Church starts yelling.

“I can’t believe that just fucking happened! We try to have one nice thing and that asshole father of mine has to send some son of a bitch to interrupt it!” His voice gets higher in pitch as he fumes.

“I’m sorry, Church. I didn’t know it was a Lab testing ground,” Tucker apologizes from the backseat, still staying close to Junior in a protective manner.

Church sighs, shaking his head. “It’s alright.”

“Ah, Church, are you okay?” Caboose asks, leaning out of his seat, a concerned look in his eyes. 

“Yeah I just need some time, okay buddy?” 

Tex stays unusually quiet. Seeing Washington had jarred up emotions that Tex would rather keep hidden away.

Eventually, she pulls up into a restaurant parking lot after Caboose suggests a nice dinner to cheer Church up. They get themselves a table outdoors and order drinks.

“Caboose, make sure you swallow,” Church advises his tall friend who was sipping from his drink.

“Bow chicka bow wow!” Tucker exclaims, his usual attitude back.

“Hey chicka bump bump,” Caboose adds.

“Caboose, stop doing that!” 

As their argument continues, Tex excuses herself to the bathroom. There’s a strong feeling of unease and hurt blooming in her chest, so she stands in front of the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. 

_Tex held her hand, stroking her brunette hair. “Connie, please.”_

Tex tries to shake the memory away, blinking repeatedly, but it won’t leave. Her hands grip the sides of the sink and her breath hitches, becoming unsteady.

_There was just so much blood. It came from her mouth, from her arms, from her chest. Tex couldn’t stop it all. “Come on, Connie. You can do this. You’ll be okay, it’s going to be okay.”_

_The bleeding didn’t stop. Her eyes, once focused on Tex, were now unfocused and unseeing. Her hand fell limp in Tex’s grip._

_“Please…”_

Tex splashes water on her face to ground herself and chase away the memory. She closes her eyes tight and takes a few deep breaths, reminding herself that she’s okay.

She has a reputation to uphold, after all.

She returns to her friends, leaving no evidence of her panic. The rest of dinner goes well, and soon Tex finds herself driving everyone home. She flips on the radio and sings along to Jason Isbell’s _Molotov_. Caboose tries to sing along but is about one second behind.

“Broke a promise to myself. Made a couple to a brown eyed girl who rode with me through the mean old world, never say die,” she sings quietly.

Tex has always loved this song, even if it brings back memories of a certain brown eyed girl who once had her heart.

The sun is setting when they return home, so Tucker breaks out some glow sticks for everyone. Everything is much more peaceful now, the earlier events almost forgotten.

No one back at the Labs would’ve thought that Tex would be living an almost domestic life style with Church and his dumbass friends. She proved them wrong.

After all, Texas is a stubborn woman.

* * *

He’s been dormant for so long. Perhaps it was the noise of the hatch opening that woke him. Or maybe it was the sudden pulse of power. 

He can see the light blue lines of power swirling around. Now fully awake, he feels his own powers coursing through his veins. Grey and orange lines mixing with the blue. He’s broken free of his restraints, broken free of everything holding him back from his goal. He runs his fingers over his sharp teeth and grins.

“Oh Sam,” he coos, turning in the dark to face the tall, broad man standing close to him.. “It’s been so long, hasn’t it?”

“I think it’s time we cause some trouble.”

He climbs out of the hatch and is greeted by a bleeding sunset and a vast forest. It’s so breathtaking. So much land for him to infest in, so many lives that he can crush.

Not to mention that power. It feels so fresh, so strong… he would just love to get his hands on it. To track down whoever that power belongs to.

He’s what they called a “failed” experiment, but he knows who he is.


	2. No One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palomo thought that the woods around Chorus were safe. Kimball meets someone new.
> 
>   
> (Warning: There are some graphic descriptions of a dead body in this chapter)

Charles Palomo knows the neighborhood of Chorus like the back of his hand. Ever since he was little, he would run around the neighborhood and the nearby parks and woods with his friends. 

Overall, the neighborhood of Chorus is a generally safe place. Vanessa Kimball makes sure of that. Kimball, the head of the community watch/sheriff lady (as Palomo refers to her), is almost always around in case something goes wrong. Everyone in the neighborhood knows her phone number for emergencies.

The sky is fading to black when Palomo leaves his house on his bike. Things at home were getting rough and he feels the need to get some fresh air. He pedals towards Bravo Park, hoping to explore or just simply walk around for a bit.

Usually he would be playing video games with Jensen and their other friends, but Jensen is on vacation with her family and won’t be back till tomorrow evening. Andersmith and Volleyball are both working their shifts at the local general store, and Bitters is probably off somewhere with Matthews. Oh, the woes of being a teenager in summer.

Palomo has a flashlight with him and lights on his bike so he can see and be seen. His house is relatively close to the park, so it doesn’t take him long to reach it.

The cool night air is welcomed, as the heat of the summer during the day is beyond intense. Palomo can’t complain, though. He’s glad that it’s summer so he can hang out with his friends without worrying about school.

Summer always holds so many possibilities. Palomo and his friends can do almost anything they want, and now that Andersmith has his driver’s license, they can _go_ almost anywhere they want.

Bravo Park is a place they frequently go to, whether it’s because they want to go biking or if they just want to chill out. Bitters’s house is the closest and is usually used as a place to meet up, and occasionally they can head towards the Chorus Public Library, a place run by Donald Doyle. 

Fireflies can be seen all around the neighborhood as Palomo bikes to the park, and even more are scattered around the fields and woods. He rides into the park, passing the playground and paved paths, and turns onto one of the well-worn mountain bike trails that leads to Armonia General Pathway. 

With nothing but a flashlight and his memory to guide him, Palomo pedals along the path, his eyes focused ahead of him. The teenager’s mind begins drifting off to other things, like how psyched he’s feeling for Jensen coming home soon and how Matthews and Bitters are oh-so-obviously in love but Bitters is too jaded and Matthews is too shy, so neither of them admit it.

He knows that Jensen has a part-time job at the mechanic shop run by a man named Sarge and that Bitters has been looking for a job. Palomo is also looking for a job at either the general store along with Andersmith and Volleyball or a job at the neighborhood’s cafe. He muses about how maybe he could get enough money to save up for something big.

Palomo isn’t expecting his front tire to stop short against a large root almost hidden in the darkness, but the next thing he knows, he’s flying over the handlebars of the bike. He hits the ground hard and tumbles down the steep slope, arms out to attempt to absorb the impact. He scrapes against multiple trees and bushes, shrieking on the way down.

As soon as the ground levels out he finds himself face down in the dirt, the wind almost completely knocked out of him. He lays there before shakily standing up, looking down at his now bleeding palms and knees. His bike is nowhere to be seen.

His flashlight had landed a few feet away, so he goes to pick it up. Palomo pulls his phone out of his back pocket only to see that it’s cracked from his fall, the screen looking like a spiderweb. 

“Aw, seriously?” he mutters, stuffing his useless phone back into his pocket. He stumbles through the dark foliage towards the flashlight, pausing when his foot steps on something that emits a sickening crack. He falls forwards, steadying himself on a tree. 

Palomo lunges to grab ahold of his flashlight and shines it at whatever the hell he stepped on, stopping in his tracks when he sees what it is..

It’s a fucking arm.

He blinks a few times, wondering if he’s really seeing this. He takes a few steps forward. Stops. Goes forward again.

He leans down to see the limp hand and realized he must’ve stepped on the wrist, as the hand itself is bent at an unnatural angle. Curiosity gets the better of him and he goes to see whom this arm was attached to.

The teen sweeps away the ferns and leaves blocking his view, almost choking as the metallic scent of blood overpowered him.

Lying there, blood pooled around him, is no other than Jason Cunningham. Palomo knows him from school and from around the neighborhood. He was a few years older than Palomo and was studying to work with Kimball and now he's lying here with blood coming out from his head and chest and-

Bile rises in Palomo’s throat as he creeps closer, kneeling besides Cunningham. He feels like he’s going to be sick.

“Cunningham? Jason, man, what’s wrong…” He’s panicking and _this isn’t actually happening is it because it can’t but it is._

There’s a small hole in Cunningham’s head, and his chest looks like someone slit it open and just pulled. Palomo can see blood and bone and his eyes are unfocused there’s no light in them. He can see Cunningham’s ribs and that scares him more than anything.

Palomo’s flight instinct kicks in and he starts running back up towards the path, towards the park. He needs to find someone and call Kimball or anyone who could help. 

He’s running and his throat burns, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He leaves his bike behind, not caring if it’s damaged from the crash. 

He reaches the main park area and his breath catches in his throat when he sees two figures near the playground, but relaxes once he realizes who they are.

Palomo runs towards them. “Bitters! Matthews!” He’s out of breath and not even trying to keep the panic out of his voice. 

Bitters looks up, the light from his phone illuminating his tan face. “Palomo? What the hell are you doing out here?”

Normally Palomo would ask him the same thing or comment about how he’s been hanging out with Matthews a lot lately, but this isn’t “normally”. 

He bends over to catch his breath, stopping in front of the two. Matthews looks worried as he steps closer to Palomo, hands outstretched.

“Cunningham- woods… body… blood… FUCK!” Palomo exclaims through wheezes.

No other words are needed. Matthews’s eyes widen and his mouth opens as if to say something, but nothing comes out.

Bitters looks just as surprised, but his jaw is set. “We need to call Kimball,” he says, not even bothering to question Palomo’s statement.

“Biking-” he’s still coughing between words, “went off-path and his body was there and holy shit-” Palomo’s shaking. He is scared; scared for himself, for his friends, scared of the fact that who — or what — did that to Cunningham is still out there. He's scared because just last week he had been hanging out with everyone, trying to impress Jensen, and Cunningham and his friend Rogers were there, laughing because everything was fine but _now it's not._

Bitters punches Kimball’s number to his phone, and for a moment Palomo, almost hysterically, focuses on the fact that he’s lucky everyone in Chorus knows her number in case something happened.

And something most definitely just happened.

* * *

Vanessa Kimball needs a drink and some new people to talk to. Her day hadn’t gone great, and she’s feeling rather lonely. Not many would expect that the lead member of the community watch would be a regular at the bar, but Kimball can hold her liquor very well. 

The bar isn’t very crowded and is full with local familiar faces. Kimball knows everyone around here. Well, except for one person.

A lady with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail sits alone at the bar, her shoulders hunched. Kimball looks around before sliding into the seat next to her, drawing the woman’s attention.

“You look like you need another drink,” Kimball comments, glancing at the woman’s nearly-empty glass. The redheaded woman gives a dry chuckle before responding.

“More than you can know.” She has a nice voice, though there’s a sense of exhaustion evident through her words. Kimball smiles.

“Well, I haven’t seen you around here, so I’m guessing you’re new. I’m Vanessa Kimball. I run the community watch here around Chorus.”

“Nice to meet you, Kimball,” the woman says, holding her arm out for a handshake.

“Now, I have a tradition of some sorts. Since you’re new here, I’ll buy you another drink,” Kimball informs her, shaking her hand. She gives a weak smile.

“Thanks.”

Kimball flags down the bartender and orders drinks before returning her focus to the unfamiliar woman.

“So, what brings you to Chorus?” 

The woman looks hesitant for a moment. “Let’s just say I’m looking for someone,” she finally replies, her sharp green eyes full of reluctance.

Kimball can recognize social cues pretty well and knows not to pursue the subject. “Okay, as long as you’re not causing any trouble.” Her smile is light and reassuring.

The two begin talking, ordering more drinks as the night goes on. Kimball learns that this woman just recently lost someone who was close to her and how she will always remember him.

Just when she’s halfway through her second drink, Kimball’s phone rings. She pulls it out of her pocket. “Sorry, I have to take this,” she tells the redheaded woman before pressing the talk button.

“Hello, this is Vanessa Kimball.”

A familiar voice laced with panic comes through the other end. “Kimball! It- it’s me, Palomo, and we need you right now! Something went wrong and we don’t know what to do,” Palomo tells her, speaking fast.

It’s unusual to hear Palomo be scared. Normally, the teen would always be trying to impress his friends without being socially awkward. Something has to be wrong.

“Charles? What are you talking about? What happened?” Kimball’s inquires, standing up. A new voice replaces Palomo’s on the phone.

“Listen, we need you out here. Palomo saw some shit and Matthews and I don’t know what’s happening so please, just fucking come.” Bitters’s voice is more level and Kimball can almost imagine the scowl on his face.

“Alright, where are you three?”

“Bravo Park.”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” she reassures before hanging up and turning to face the woman she’d been talking to.

“I have to go, it’s an emergency. It was nice meeting you though. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s your name?” Kimball’s asks.

The woman looks thoughtful for a moment, as if contemplating whether she should tell Kimball or not.

“You can call me Carolina.”

* * *

He looks down at the bloody knife in his hand, then back at the car pulling up into the parking lot. As he watches, a dark skinned woman with short hair exits the car and makes her way over to the three teens huddled together in the park. 

He doesn’t know the names of these teens, but he knows the short one saw the aftermath of what he did.

That teen runs up to the woman and exclaims, “ _Holy shit I found a body!_ ” loud enough for everyone to hear.

Flipping the knife in his hand with trained precision, he realizes that one of the other teens has spotted him. The kid’s eyes are wide, and he looks like a frightened deer. 

“Felix, we should go,” comes a deep voice. “In a second,” Felix replies, his gaze still focused on the auburn-haired teen watching him.

Felix grins at the kid before retreating back into the woods, towards the voice of his partner in crime. 

“Sam, I think we did good.”

“Codenames,” Locus reminds him. There’s a flash of dark green as he appears adjacent to Felix, holding a gun in his hands.

Felix rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” He can’t help but grin. “Wasn’t that fun? It’s a shame that kid didn’t find the other body. I would’ve _killed_ to see his face after seeing two dead bodies!”

Locus stays quiet, as he is too busy observing the blood splattered on his dark shirt. When he finally speaks, his voice is cold.

“We need to focus on our goal.”

“Relax, we’re getting there. Can’t you feel the fear?” Felix spreads his arms out wide, still holding on to the knife. “Besides, we just got out! We’ve been gone for such a long time. Why don’t we enjoy this place for a bit?”

Locus takes a long look at Felix. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there’s the memory of someone who would’ve told them to stop. Someone who would’ve kicked Felix in his goddamn face if he knew what they were doing. But that someone is dead and can do nothing about this.

Felix keeps twirling the knife as they walk and the parts of the metal that aren’t covered in blood gleam in the moonlight. His grin reveals his sharp teeth, his clothes and hands are covered in blood, and he most certainly looks like something out of a horror movie. Not that Locus looks any better, though.

“At this rate, we’ll be ready before you know it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that escalated quickly...  
> I wasn't expecting to get the second chapter done so quickly but here we are.  
> Anyways this chapter was interesting to write. I may or may not have scared myself a bit.  
> Please tell me if I'm writing anyone out of character and I'm always open to constructive feedback.  
> why do I keep bringing Cunningham and/or Rogers back just to kill them... blame season 12  
> Update: This and chapter one were edited so uh yeehaw


	3. Speed of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tex, Church, and Tucker receive some news, Washington meets some interesting people, and Jensen and her friends start a Junior Detectives Club.

Saturday mornings are always nice in the house Tex resides in. The boys get to sleep in, Tucker makes pancakes, Church bitches about stuff, and they all watch the news or Saturday morning cartoons together. 

Tex wakes up much earlier than the others and takes a jog, feeling annoyed at the humid air. There are clouds covering the sky, hinting at possible rain. It’s hot enough that Tex has to shower when she gets back, though she still has plenty of time before the others wake up. She lounges on the couch and reads for a bit, relishing the quietness. It isn’t long before Church and Tucker come stumbling into the kitchen together so they can wake up Caboose and Junior and start breakfast.

Breakfast proves to be intriguing as usual, as everyone swaps stories and Junior talks about what he wants to do today. Caboose spills orange juice all over Church, who flips Tucker and Tex off when they laugh at him. 

Of course, when the time comes to watch TV, the couch isn’t big enough for all five of them. Caboose and Junior end up sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Tex can tell they don’t mind.

The table in the kitchen is still crowded with dishes from breakfast, but that could be taken care of later. The day is still young, after all.

Tex sits next to Church, who’s wearing an oversized light blue hoodie. No wonder he’s always complaining about overheating. His green eyes keep flicking over to Tucker, who is lounging next to him. Tucker takes the remote and turns on the television, revealing the channel to be set on the local news station. On the screen is a woman named Dylan Andrews, who Tex recognizes from other times she’s watched the news. 

Right before he changes the channel, something catches Church’s eye. “Hold on a second,” he says, putting his hand over Tucker’s to stop him from changing the channel. Church squints at the reports located on the bottom of the T.V screen, before turning to Tex. “Where the fuck are my glasses?”

“On your head, dumbass,” Tex replies. Church looks flustered for a moment before putting on his glasses and returning his gaze to the television. Tex follows his gaze and reads the report aloud.

“ ‘Two teens found dead around Bravo Park and Armonia General Pathway, details will be given shortly.’, ” she reads, frowning. Chorus isn’t a place where murders happen.

“Dude, that’s some weird shit,” Tucker remarks before leaning close to Church and Tex and whispering, “If you two wanna listen to this, I’m gonna have Junior do something else. I don’t want him to get scared.”

Tex nods, watching as Tucker leads Junior away with the promise of drawing and extra pancakes. Caboose goes with them, promising to get some paper for Church to draw on. Tex returns her focus to the T.V, where the reporter begins talking about the murders.

“Last night, the body of Jason Cunningham was found by Charles Palomo around 8:57 pm. After reporting the incident to the community watch and starting the investigation, the body of James Rogers was discovered not too far away, in the creek. According to the reports, both suffered bullet wounds, though Cunningham had severe chest damage and Rogers had been drowned. No one knows who committed the murders, but local sheriff Vanessa Kimball is already looking into finding who did this horrible crime.” 

Church frowns and turns to face Tex. “The fuck?” His green eyes are narrowed, reminding Tex of Carolina. “We were literally just around there two days ago!” His frown deepens as he looks Tex straight in the face. “Do you think it has something to do with… you know…”

Tex shakes her head. “Of course not. This has nothing to do with what happened.”

Tucker comes back into the room, taking his place besides Church again. “Alright, what did I miss?” he asks.

“Two teens lost their lives,” Tex explains, sounding downcast from the morbid news. Tucker raises an eyebrow, voicing his concerns. 

“Fuck. That’s…” He seems lost for words before shaking his head.

They sit in silence and Tex turns off the TV. Tucker stands up and says, “Well, I texted the Reds last night and told them to look out for that guy we ran into.”

“Did you describe him?”

“Fuck yeah. I specifically said that if a blond murder-hobo asks about us, then they should tell him they don’t know us.” 

“That’s a start, I guess,” Church mumbles. 

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Tex interjects.

Church looks up at her. “You’re putting faith in them? That’s new.”

“Shut up asshole.”

“Bitch,” Church shoots back, and Tucker sighs at their usual name-calling. He goes to say something but is interrupted when Caboose comes barreling into the living room with Junior trailing close behind.

“Church! I made a drawing for you!” Caboose exclaims, showing him and Tex the paper clutched in his hands. On the paper is a drawing of three stick figures; one smiling, one looking angry, and the other smirking. 

Church knows which one is supposed to be him, but he still points to the angry-looking one and asks, “That’s me, right?” Caboose nods as Tex snickers. 

“And that one is Tex,” Caboose continues, pointing at the smirking stick figure.

Church looks at Tex’s face before looking back at the drawing. “I can’t see a difference,” he states dryly.

Tex punches Church in the shoulder, and the news reports are forgotten for the moment.

* * *

David Washington wants to be anywhere else but here. Of course he’s the one who was sent to look for Alpha and Beta. He is Recovery One, after all.

His conversation with the Director had been short. Washington told him what he found, and the Director told him to bring them back. The Counselor, however, seemed anxious about something, though he didn’t tell Washington what caused his worries.

Now he stands in the pouring rain with an umbrella clutched tightly in his hands, surveying the places around him. According to the Director, Alpha and Beta have to be somewhere close to Armonia General Pathway. Washington’s first stop: Chorus.

He doesn’t know the neighborhood well, as he’s only passed through a few times. It’s a decent sized neighborhood; there’s a bunch of houses, a library, a station, a cafe, a general store, and a mechanics shop. 

From what he can see, no one else is outside. Expected for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Wash doesn’t want to be out in this storm as much as the next person. He, however, doesn’t have much of a choice.

After a few minutes of wandering around, he finds himself on a street called Blood Gulch Avenue, which has houses of different colors on each side. It’s there that he spots the mechanic shop he was told about.

The shop is painted a bold red and there’s a sign that reads “Sarge’s Mechanics and Auto Shop”. Also worth mentioning is another sign, this one on the door, that states, “No Blues allowed!” Wash isn’t entirely sure what that means, but he suspects it has something to do with the blue house across the street.

There’s a warm light spilling from the windows of the shop, and Washington can’t help but feel tempted to go inside. It would technically be part of his job.

He hopes that finding Alpha and Beta will be easy, so getting information about them would be best. He was told to ask around for them, or go around areas to see if he could find any trace.

The shop looks relatively empty, and Washington can only see three workers. Nevertheless, he figures that it’s worth a shot to try asking about Alpha.

He enters the shop and the door makes a dinging noise, alerting his presence to the workers. At the counter there’s a man with stylish blond hair who smiles at Wash and exclaims, “Hello! Welcome to our shop! What can I get you today?”

Washington nods in greeting and walks forward. A nervous-looking redheaded man is leaning against the counter while a tan brown-haired man is working in the corner with some tools, barely acknowledging Wash

As Washington reaches the counter and prepares to speak, a short girl with curly brown hair walks out from one of the back rooms. “S’up bitches!” she yells, grinning.

Wash coughs a little bit, not expecting the surprising greeting, before beginning to talk.

“My name is Washington, and I’m looking for someone.”

“What, are you a cop or something?” demands the girl. “Cause we don’t fuck with the police.”

“No! Well, kind of,” he replies. “I’m with the Mother of Invention Labs.”

The tall redhead stiffens slightly and glances at Wash nervously. “Who are you looking for?” he asks.

Washington takes a moment before answering, reminding himself to use Alpha’s real name. “Leonard Church Jr.”

“We don’t know anyone with that name, right Simmons?” the man at the counter says, turning to face the redhead, who nods. 

“Yeah, never heard of him.” The redhead’s — Simmons’ — voice cracks as he speaks.

“Are you sure?” Washington presses.

“Sí, no te estamos mintiendo. No. Nunca escuché de Leonard Church.” [ _Yes, we are not lying to you. No. I never heard of Leonard Church_ ]

Washington hadn’t even noticed the brown haired man coming closer to him and definitely didn’t understand anything he just said, but before he can ask, the door to the shop opens. A man clad in a purple rain jacket comes in, shaking water from his glasses. He spots Washington and smiles.

“Oh, hey Doc! This is Washington, and he’s looking for someone,” the blond man at the counter greets.

“Actually, I’m just leaving.” Washington begins making his way towards the door, walking past the bespectacled newcomer. “Thanks for your assistance.”

He walks out into the rain without another word. Part of him is confused about the people he just met. The other part of him is wondering why he thought searching for Alpha would be easy.

Washington figures he has about two hours before he has to report back to the Director. What else to do except look around some more?

* * *

Katie Jensen comes home to a practically sobbing Palomo at her door. Not the welcome she expects, but a sort of welcome nonetheless. 

She quickly abandons her unpacked suitcase to ask Palomo what’s wrong, and notices Bitters and Matthews standing behind him. Bitters has an orange umbrella big enough to fit all three teens underneath.

“Charlie, what’s wrong?” Jensen asks with her usual lisp in her voice. Palomo just lunges forward and hugs her. She wraps her arms around his shoulders on impulse and looks towards Bitters for an explanation. 

Bitters sighs. “Long story.” 

“We’re gonna meet Andersmith and Volleyball at our usual place. We’ll explain there,” Matthews says, looking almost as shaken up as Palomo. “Welcome back, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Palomo lets go of Jensen, allowing her to tell her parents she was leaving and grab a maroon umbrella for her and him. She follows her friends out into the storm.

“Smith and Volley’s shift ended at three, right?”

Palomo responds to this one. “Yeah. They just got out.” He sniffles, clinging on to her shoulder. 

The rest of the walk is silent, save for the pounding rain and rumbling thunder. Almost no one else is out, though Jensen catches a glimpse of another person walking on the side of the street. She pays him no mind, though. 

After a few minutes, the small cafe looms into view, and the teens put down their umbrellas before entering. Jensen greets some of the workers as they make their way towards the back corner of the cafe, where Andersmith and Volleyball are already sitting. 

“Hey Jensen!” Volleyball exclaims, smiling. Andersmith gets up from his seat to hug her before all six of them sit down. 

Palomo sits besides her and as soon as everyone settles, begins telling her about the horrors he experienced the day before. He tells her about the body, about his panic.

Jensen listens, shellshocked, as he finishes. He’s shaking, looking like he’s about to cry again. She blinks, speechless at the entire thing.

It’s hard to understand that Palomo found the body of someone she’s known for years. Hard to imagine that two people she looked up to are dead. 

“We called Kimball after that. She told us not to do anything about it,” Bitters informs. 

“Oh, we are definitely doing something about it. This is serious!” Volleyball speaks up. “Matthews, tell Jensen about what you saw!”

Jensen turns to look at Matthews, who nervously says, “I… saw someone. Or something. We were talking to Kimball and I looked over and saw this guy. He smiled at me, and it was really unnerving. Then he just left.”

“Whatever it is, we’re getting to the bottom of this!” Andersmith sounds certain, his voice steady and strong. 

“Sure, let’s just become the fucking Scooby-Doo gang. And when our bodies are found, they’ll make the perfect plot for the next movie. We’re goddamn teenagers, guys,” Bitters snaps.

Jensen’s not sure what to think about this whole ordeal, but if Matthews actually saw someone like that — someone who might’ve been involved in the murders — she’s certainly wanting to figure all of this out. No matter what.

* * *

“Guess who paid our asshole friends a visit!” Tucker chimes from where he leans against the living room door. His phone is in his hands, and there’s a smug look on his face.

“Let me guess. Fucking Washington,” Church mutters, not even bothering to look up from the pillow fort he’s helping Caboose build.

“You would’ve known if you paid attention to your phone.”

“Shut up. You know I muted that group chat as soon as Donut created it,” he shoots back, glaring at Tucker.

“Oh, yes, Church always puts his phone on mute,” Caboose remarks, “Even when someone very important is texting him. Like his best friend.”

“Caboose, last time I paid attention to your texts you spammed me with images of dogs.”

“They were very cute dogs.”

Tex is only half listening, as most of her attention is on the laptop screen in front of her. Trying to find a new motorcycle to buy does require attention, after all. 

With the couch being decimated by Church and Caboose’s pillow fort, Tex has nowhere else to sit but the floor. She lays on her stomach, laptop out in front of her, far enough away that no one can accidentally step on the device.

The steady noise of rain almost masks the pitter-patter of Junior running across the room to his father. Tex watches as he runs past her, tugging on Tucker’s shirt.

“Play?” Junior asks, smiling and pointing towards the door. Tucker obliges and the two begin putting on raincoats and rain boots. 

Tex stands up, stretches, and heads over to them. She grabs her own raincoat and puts it on. When Tucker glances at her with a confused gaze, she tells him, “It’s only raining now. I need some fresh air.”

She follows Tucker and Junior outside, smiling as the latter begins splashing in puddles on the driveway. Tex makes her way towards the backyard, leaning against the side of the house. She lets herself forget everything for a moment and tries to focus on the rain. 

It works a little bit, though Tex soon begins to worry that her laptop might accidentally get stepped on, or worse. She’s about to leave when something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention. She’s certain she saw something move or a flash of metal, but when she turns to look, there’s nothing there. 

Whatever it had been, everything suddenly feels wrong. She doesn’t exactly know how to describe it, but something isn’t right. She feels like this place isn’t safe anymore… because of someone. Or some _thing_.

The hairs on the back of her neck rise, and she makes her way towards where she thought she saw something. Tex’s hands are curled into fists and she _knows_ something is out there; she’s just not sure _what_.

Whatever it is, it better not fuck with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lopez translations courtesy to google translate: "Yes, we are not lying to you. No. I never heard of Leonard Church"  
> Yay some of the Reds are being introduced. Kai too, cause she and Donut are good friends.  
> Y'all I described Simmons as nervous but he can be absolutely feral when he wants to. Also Tex is just awesome I love her  
> Hm no Felix POV section? I wonder what this means  
> So cause school started, I will be updating less. This seems to be the story I'm focusing on at the moment, as I'm going through writer's block and lack of motivation with my other two fics (but I promise I'll update them). It just might take much longer to update with all this school stuff going on.  
> Not to mention that while writing time flies so quickly. I'll look at when I last updated my fics and be surprised on how long it's been.  
> Also huge shoutout to falsedittany for always reading through my stories and helping out with some dialogue stuff  
> Constructive criticism is always welcome!


	4. Meet Me in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carolina has some thinking time, Felix eats a deer, Palomo and his friends make a discovery, and a deal is struck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Uh Felix literally kills and eats a whole deer so yeah just a little warning in case anyone is uncomfortable with that.

Carolina Church always seems to find herself in odd places. Run-down towns, bars, cities… the list goes on and on. 

All in all, Chorus isn’t on that list. It seems like a decent place, and the people that she has met so far are definitely nice. Especially that woman she ran into at the bar all those nights ago. Carolina had been a tad disappointed that Kimball left early, though she learned why on the news the next morning. 

Carolina can remember everything leading up to that night at the bar, from the grief of York’s death to realizing that she needed a drink. York’s death had come as a surprise to her, as the last time she’d seen him was years ago. Especially heavy was the dawning realization that the last words Carolina had said to him were, “You can’t trust me.” (It also hurts to mention that she was partly responsible for Connie’s death, but to be fair, she and the others had left her behind at the hands of the Meta.)

York had always been someone special to Carolina. She remembers the feeling of holding his hand, remembers the way he had trouble driving after the incident with his eye, remembers the familiar ring of him saying, “Hey there, Carolina” to her every day.

Carolina had left the Mother of Invention Labs as soon as possible. She couldn’t deal with knowing all the horrible things her own father had done. For awhile she laid low, traveling around the country, looking for anything, or  _ anyone _ , to help her. She had a list of former Lab workers that slowly became smaller and smaller until York and Tex were the only ones left. It wasn’t until a few months ago that she decided to find her brother and make things right. 

And by making things right, she needs to shut down the Labs. She needs to make the Director pay for what he did to his own fucking children. She needs to make him pay for everything he did to Maine, to North, to York, and to all of them. 

She needs to make things better so that maybe, just maybe, she can be forgiven too.

She doesn’t have much; some money taken from the Labs, a good amount of clothes, and a hotel room she booked for a week. It’s enough, though. 

Part of Carolina’s mind tells her that the chase for her brother is fruitless. He could be anywhere, literally  _ anywhere _ in the entire goddamn world. So many possibilities and scenarios always in her mind, but she has faith. Just like Church told her to, all those years ago.

She has a plan; find Church and possibly even Tex, get them to help her, and then reveal the horrors of the Labs to the public. Easier said than done. 

Of course, there’s the chance that they wouldn’t  _ want _ to help her. In that case… well, she’s not entirely sure what she’d do. She’ll burn that bridge when she reaches it, and she  _ will _ reach it.

In the meantime, she can pine over the cute woman she met at the bar. Carolina thinks she could help Kimball out in her new case and possibly even ask about Church. She definitely will ask Kimball for her number, though.

Carolina stands up from her hotel room bed, feeling renewed with energy. She grabs her phone from the dresser to check for any messages before slipping the device into her pocket. 

Today is just another day, but she’s ready for anything.

* * *

Most people need quiet to think. This includes Locus, though he might not entirely be considered as “people”.

At the moment, Locus can’t think at all - mainly because of the noise of Felix picking apart the body of a dead deer. He looks over and fixes his partner with a glare. Felix, gnawing on a bone from the deer he killed, glares back and shrugs.

“I was hungry,” he huffs.

“You could have killed something smaller.”

Felix smirks. “Where’s the fun in that?” His teeth are stained with blood and even more of the substance is soaking into the ground around him.

Locus sighs, not wanting to deal with his partner’s antics. “Focus on the objective,” he snaps before turning his attention back to the gun in his hands and the map next to him. He can practically hear Felix’s eye roll from behind him. 

After having found a small, dark cave to take shelter in (Locus didn’t exactly want to stay in a cave; he’s not a monster), the two settled down in order to discuss their next plan of action. The plan in question is currently going nowhere except for Felix’s oh-so-helpful idea to just follow the power to its user out in broad daylight and kill everyone who got in their way.

“Leave the bones somewhere else when you’re finished. I don’t want to clutter the cave.” Locus gets up and walks towards the entrance, shielding his eyes from the glare of the setting sun. There’s a noticeable trail of blood from the dead deer leading into the cave, and he hopes that rain will come and wash it away.

He sighs before retreating back into the darkness, sitting down on the cold stone ground, and returns his attention to mapping out the area on a piece of scrap paper. He goes to speak again when three quick knocks sound from the entrance of the cave. Locus stiffens and Felix leaps up, hastily wiping the blood from his mouth.

“Really? Someone’s stupid enough to knock on a literal cave wall?” Felix shares a glance with Locus while expressing his distaste. “This oughta be fun.”

Felix strolls towards the entrance, Locus close behind him, and tuts, “Let me guess, someone got all lost and turned around in the woods. Well lucky you, we know exactly how to help-”

He stops talking when he spots the man standing there. The man in question is noticeably older than the both of them and clad in a fancy black suit. He doesn’t look unfazed at all and instead smiles at them. Why someone like this is knocking on a cave wall in the forest at this hour, Locus isn’t sure.

“Well hello, gentlemen. My name is Malcolm Hargrove. I’d like to make a proposition of sorts,” the man says, eliciting a confused glance from Locus.

Felix goes to say something, but he’s interrupted by the man. “I believe you both will want to hear me out, and you will most certainly benefit from it. I know who you both are. I know what the Mother of Invention Labs did to you.”

Locus stiffens and even Felix looks taken aback. No one knew about the horrors they were put through ( _ the horrors that turned them into horrors _ ) except for themselves and those at the labs. 

“I’m listening.” Felix sounds almost hesitant, though there’s the cockiness in his voice that says that he’s still ready to do anything.

“Let’s go into your little home to discuss this further. Shall we?” Hargrove inquires, and follows as the two lead him into the depths of the cave after a nod from Locus. He doesn’t even seem too worried about the deer carcass.

“Splendid. Now, I know you two are very powerful, but how would you like to become even more so? You see, there’s a certain someone I’m looking for, and I think you both are looking for him too.”

“The one who let us free, correct?” Locus interjects, feeling genuinely intrigued. Hargrove nods, his eyes seeming to gleam in the gloominess of the cave.

“There’s quite a bit of history about him and the Labs. I’d be more than happy to tell you, though I feel like showing you would be more efficient.”

“What do you mean by that?” Felix asks, tapping his fingers against his lips in a curious matter.

“I mean that if you two would like to learn more about this, then come to my company, Charon Industries, tomorrow morning,” Hargrove explains before proceeding to tell them the address.

Locus excuses himself and Felix for a moment so they can discuss what to do. They move to the far reaches of the cave, where everything is dark as pitch and the faraway drip of water against stone is even more prominent.

Before Locus can say anything, Felix cuts him off. “Hear me out! Do you realize that if we agree to this, not only will we be purely unstoppable, but we’ll finally get justice! I know you remember what we went through.”

“I’m well aware.”

“So let’s do it! Besides, if we don’t like where it’s going, we can just kill him and move on with our original plan. It’s a win-win.”

Locus takes a moment to contemplate what was said, and finally replies with a stiff, “Fine.” Felix’s smirk widens and he makes his way back towards where Hargrove is waiting.

“Well, we’ve put a lot of thought into our answer, and we’ve decided that we will accept your proposal for the time being.”

“Very well, gentlemen. I assure you both that you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow,” Hargrove says, a smile on his face, before walking briskly out of the cave.

“So, how the hell are we going to get there?” Felix asks, turning to Locus, who shrugs in response. 

Locus sits down, his mind racing with whether this is a good idea or not. He’s thankful for the almost companionable silence that they both lapse into, as he can finally think clearly and reflect on everything.

Of course, the few moments of blissful silence are once again interrupted. “Hey Locus, wanna see me shove this entire deer bone down my throat?”

* * *

The setting sun casting its dying rays through the trees is bright in Charles Palomo’s eyes. He shields his eyes with his hand before turning to face the rest of his friends.

“We’re here,” he tells the five teens standing in front of him. “Right down there is where I fell.” He points to the slope off-trail, which looks much less formidable in the fading daylight.

They’re back at where it all started: back on the trails at Bravo Park. Palomo can see the police tape lines — and the police beginning to leave — down at the bottom where he found Cunningham’s body, and part of him knows he shouldn’t be here.

Jensen steps around him, peering down the trail with an interested gaze. “Technically, what we’re about to do is tamper with evidence and go into restricted areas,” she points out.

“Yeah, we’re going to get fucking arrested,” Bitters snaps. “We should leave; it’s getting late. But whatever, why start listening to me now.” Palomo acknowledges his concerns, for the sky is darkening quickly. It’s only a little more than a month till autumn starts, after all.

Volleyball breezes past everyone and begins making her way down the trail, shrugging at Bitters’s comment. “Life’s short. Besides, we’re not going  _ into _ the taped off area. Just around,” she says, and Palomo grins. He and Jensen follow her, knowing that with Andersmith and Matthews close behind, Bitters will definitely follow as well.

They make their way down, using trees as support for the steep parts, before taking a sharp turn to avoid getting too close to the where the body had been (they don’t want to actually get arrested, contrary to what some may think). Palomo sees the marks on the ground from when he fell, and for a moment his mind is filled with the horrors he experienced and he begins wondering if this is a good idea. Jensen, being her ever-observing self, rests a comforting hand on Palomo’s shoulder, eliciting a grateful smile.

They wait as the last of the police pack up their equipment and leave and the shadows lengthen into a blur. The sky turns to an inky blue as the sun disappears from its embrace with the horizon, and Palomo is very grateful they brought flashlights.

“Kimball will certainly kill us if she finds out,” Andersmith whispers, concern lacing his voice as they finally begin looking around. 

“Well then we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t find out,” Volleyball briskly replies, sweeping her flashlight across the surrounding trees and undergrowth. The neon police tapes glint in the glare of the flashlight and Palomo turns away to face the dark expanse of woods before him. 

There’s not much to find except for Palomo’s bike, as the battered thing hadn’t been taken by the police yet, and no blood remains anywhere thanks to the rain a few days ago.

“Maybe there’s something somewhere between here and where the other body was found?” Matthews suggests after a while, shifting from foot to foot from where he stands next to Bitters. The teen’s flashlight is clutched tightly in his hands and he hasn’t left Bitters’s side since they first got there.

Palomo nods. “That just might bring us to something.” He leads the way through the forest, the others by his side. The loud noises of the woods at night creates a constant buzz, though he’s not bothered by it. 

The night air is stuffy, and Palomo is almost certain that it won’t be long before another rain storm. Part of him wishes autumn would come quicker. 

Andersmith’s long steps soon put him in the front, though he keeps looking back at Palomo to make sure he’s still going in the right direction. Jensen stays next to Palomo, her flashlight illuminating the ground in front of them.

“I wasn’t able to ask you how your vacation was,” Palomo chimes after a bit. She glances over at him and smiles.

“It was fun! I got to visit plenty of museums. I would’ve stayed home if I knew this would’ve happened, though.” She glances back at the taped off area as she talks.

He shrugs, trying to seem as casual as possible. “It’s alright. You’re still here to help us solve this mystery!”

“For the millionth time, this isn’t some fun little mystery! This is a serious thing that could put us in danger!” Bitters fumes.

Before Matthews can make a worried agreement, Volleyball whips around to face both of them. “We know! We’re not doing this for a game, we’re doing this because two of our friends were murdered! So if you want to go home and do nothing about a murder case, then go ahead!”

Bitters freezes, surprise lining his face. For a moment, Palomo is convinced that he  _ will _ give up and go home. 

Instead, Bitters simply mutters, “Whatever.” He goes back to walking, causing the rest of the group to follow his lead. They lapse back into silence, though the tension remains strong.

In front of Palomo, Andersmith abruptly stops walking. He gasps and the others instantly rush forward to see what’s wrong, fearing the worst.

On the ground, partially hidden by bushes, lies a neat circle of bones. Deer bones, to be exact, with the skull placed directly in the center. The bones are clear of any remains and seem to shine with how clean they are. It’s all too perfect to be natural.

“What the fuck,” Bitters deadpans as Palomo’s eyes widen. Volleyball whips out her phone and takes a picture, studying the bones intently. Silence follows, and Palomo quickly notices something is wrong.

All of the noises in the forest have stopped. There’s no more screaming cicadas, no more various animal calls. The only remaining sound is the wind’s gentle push on the trees. The sudden, unusual silence sends shivers up Palomo’s spine.

A strong feeling of unease washes over him, bringing the sensation of being watched. It felt as if there was someone else out there at this time of night, trespassing on a crime scene. Someone with a sense of malice, per say.

Without saying anything, Bitters turns on his heels and begins storming away, ranting, “It’s just a natural occurrence, but it’s too late for this shit!” He reaches for Matthews’s hand, as if wanting to pull him away, but stops himself and continues on his fuming retreat.

Palomo doesn’t even look at him. He’s too focused on the bones, on the feeling, on his unease. He shivers uncontrollably, goosebumps rising on his arms. 

“Well this is a… certainly interesting find! I’m sure there’s a perfect, logical explanation for this!” Jensen offers, a nervous smile on her face. “Bones are found in the woods all the time.”

“Mhm!” Palomo nods with a fake sense of cheerfulness, trying to take comfort in Jensen’s words. “It’s normal! Let’s just maybe call it quits for tonight.” He speaks quickly, shaken up from the discovery.

Volleyball shrugs. “Well, if you say so.” She seems less affected by the bones, a determined look still on her face. “Tomorrow, same time and place?”

“I have work tomorrow. Can we meet later?” Jensen asks, forcing her attention away from the bones.

Palomo mumbles a quick “Sure” and they all begin walking away, quicker than they were when they came. He can’t stop himself from glancing over his shoulder every couple of steps, his eyes straining to see something out of place and his mind fighting to prove that everything’s alright.

Jensen timidly takes his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, either to comfort him or herself. Palomo keeps telling himself that everything is fine as they retrace their steps and leave, all of them forcing themselves into their own fantasies of tranquility and ignorance.

* * *

“Well, isn’t this place fancy!” Felix exclaims, spreading his arms out as if he could encircle the entire building in his hands. Beside him, Locus is silent. The building in question, a large compound a few decent miles away from that cave in the woods, is called Charon Industries. The rising sun illuminates the compound, spreading the light upon something so large and unnatural disrupting the land.

Malcolm Hargrove stands next to the pair, hands folded neatly in front of him. “I would give the grand tour, but I feel it is necessary to jump right to the point.” Hargrove says, and Felix’s smirk confirms his statement.

He punches a few numbers into a device next to the large set of main doors, causing them to slide open. Even the main lobby of the building is large and expansive. A group of people are gathered in one corner, looking mightily shady as they sit around a large table.

“We don’t just make weapons here,” Hargrove explains as they make their way past rooms full of gun prototypes. Locus stays quiet, his gaze focused on the steel walls. 

They stop in front of an elevator and Hargrove pushes the button to go down. Once entered, the doors slam shut and the elevator begins its quick descent, getting steadily darker as the floors pass by.

When the doors reopen, Locus and Felix find themselves face to face with a large, dimly lit room. The walls are tinted with a variety of colors, all of which coming from the back of the room. The domed ceiling seems to reflect the colors all around the room.

The colors all come from glowing areas - all of which too bright to make out. There’s green, magenta, purple, orange, so on and so on.

With a few simple flips of switches, the room is flooded in bright fluorescent lights from the multiple ceiling lamps. Locus squints in confusion at the sight awaiting them.

Arranged in be back of the room are eleven glass cases, each proving to be where the lights are coming from. In each case, except for one, are humans — well, humanoid figures.

“Nice lighting. Who’s your interior decorator?” Felix inquires cheerfully, taking in the scene.

“This is my…” Hargrove pauses, as if looking for the right word, “... collection. Let me introduce to you the Mother of Invention Labs’ most prized possessions; Maine and the so called ‘A.I.s’.”

He walks up to the largest display in the middle, the one with a humming white light emanating from it. Locus watches with intent, not sure what to feel. Part of him feels a sort of comradery sense towards these things, as they too were influenced by the Labs in some way. They must’ve been created after he and Felix had been… put away.

Hargrove taps the glass case. “Agent Maine was one of the workers. Such a sad fate he met.” He begins moving down the line of display cases, stopping in front of each one. “The Director of the Labs -- I’m sure you’re familiar with him -- performed tests on his son. It took a while, but he finally succeeded in turning his son into a sort of superhuman. That obviously wasn’t enough for him, though.”

“The Director scanned parts of his son’s mind, parts of his personality, and began an even more unethical project. Taking those scans, he began attempting to create more superhumans from test tubes. With those test tube bastards created, he recruited workers and started a project. How these creations worked was that once paired and familiar with a person, they would begin to join with the human’s mind and enhance their senses and attributes.”

“Sounds complicated,” Felix inputs, though Locus knows this information is crystal clear to him.

“Indeed, the Director really was a brilliant man,” Hargrove replies as he stops in front of the display case of a glowing orange figure. Flames seem to dance inside the case, and Locus isn’t sure whether the flames are an illusion or if they are real.

“Sigma was not the first created, though he certainly proved to have quite a mind. He was the Director’s son’s ambition. Sigma was paired with Agent Maine, and let’s just say he didn’t have the best intentions.”

Locus interrupts, faking a cough to get Hargrove’s attention. “How did Sigma become so… human-like?”

Hargrove smiles coldly. “What comes from a human wants to be human.”

“Okay, okay, let's speed this up a bit!” Felix says, crossing his arms as his gaze passes over each of the display cases.

“Very well. Sigma manipulated Maine, merging with him and taking control of him entirely. His goal was to gather the others to become human again, become what the Director’s son is. Using Maine’s body, he started a rampage, killing any other workers paired with the Director’s creations. He absorbed each of them, successfully obtaining the others before escaping. Many lives were lost that die, and a few Lab workers went as far as taking the Director’s son and leaving.”

Felix turns to face Hargrove, tapping his fingers impatiently against his side. “So why are they all here, then? And where do  _ we  _ come into this?”

“We managed to apprehend and contain Agent Maine, separating him from the others. But you see, we’re missing one. We’re missing Leonard Church Jr, the Director’s own son,” Hargrove informs them, folding his hands in front of him.

“Oh, I get it. Like you told us earlier, you want us to find this guy for you. Well, it’s good we got that all established already! Glad we have the same goal. Now, what do we get out of this?”

“You will be given the power of all of these,” Hargrove sweeps his arms out in front of him, gesturing to all of the glowing cases. “creations. You could take them any time you want, however many you want, as long as you return them. Think of everything you can do with them. Additionally, I will provide a team for you to make things easier.”

Locus tilts his head and clears his throat. “Pardon, but wouldn’t having more than one of those things in our brain have consequences?” he asks. Part of him wants to say yes instantly, say yes so he can follow orders and have a meaning.

“Last time I checked, neither of you are entirely human. Your minds are stronger.” Hargrove’s reasoning doesn’t sound that good, but he says it like it has to be true. “And anyways, you’ve both done a phenomenal job raising up fear around here.”

“The more scared people are, the more powerful  _ we  _ are,” Felix agrees. “Well, I’m down with it. What about you, Locs? Try out the mercenary lifestyle for a while, huh?”

Locus wants more time to think it over, but Felix has clearly made a decision. He sighs and raises his head. “I accept.”

A job is a job, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I'm really bad at updating fics quickly! Well, just know that I'm still alive and will eventually update my other fics.  
> Fun fact: Palomo and the others finding the deer bones is actually based off of a real life experience that happened to me. I was walking in the woods with my sister around sundown and we found a bunch of animal bones on the trail. It just made sense to incorporate it into the story!  
> I know this is supposed to be a horror story but I just couldn't resist the thought of Felix eating a deer.  
> Bitters be like "I'm cool and an emo teenager but for fuck's sake can we not speed up our inevitable deaths." Also Volleyball is so badass and awesome.  
> OH and expect some more Red Team interactions next chapter and eventually flashbacks so y'all aren't in the dark about what happened at the Labs. I am also working on a mini side story about Carolina trying to track down all of the former Labs workers.   
> Oh dear, I still have so many characters to introduce!!


	5. Crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lights can't reach the far corners of the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Murder and slight descriptions of a dead body.

A mechanics shop is definitely not Dexter Grif’s prefered place. If he’s being honest, he’d much rather be working with food and not a crazy old man with a shotgun. Still, he sticks around despite Sarge’s threats and Donut’s innuendos. 

As of now, he’s having to listen to Doc explain the benefits of yoga and Reiki to Donut while Sarge and Jensen replace the spark plugs of Sarge’s old jeep in the garage. How that thing is still running, Grif isn’t sure. The jeep had been built by Sarge himself all those years ago and sports many dents and scratches to prove it’s hardiness. Sarge calls the jeep ‘The Warthog’ and treats it like it’s his lover.

Simmons walks over to Sarge and Jensen, perhaps to offer help or ask the teen how she’s doing. He never gets the chance, though, as Sarge is animatedly telling Jensen what happens when one drops tools into the engine and can’t get them out. 

Appearing only slightly defeated, Simmons makes his way into the main shop and towards Grif with an acknowledging nod. “Hey,” he greets, leaning against the counter that Grif is sitting on. He looks more tired than usual, but Grif is pretty sure he knows why.

“S’up, nerd. How’re things going?” Grif asks, looking overall nonplussed.

Simmons gently sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about the possible outcomes of that Washington guy hanging around here and things don’t look great. Not that you’d understand.”

Grif rolls his eyes and slides down from his seat on the counter, recognizing that Simmons is in one of his moods. “Alright smartass. I think it’s time for my lunch break.”

“Wh- Grif! You can’t have your lunch break at ten in the morning!” Simmons rants, following him as he maneuvers through the shop and into the breakroom.

“Uh, says who?”

“Says the normal human schedule!”

“And when have I followed a ‘normal human’ schedule, Simmons? Besides, schedules are just something made up to try and control time. You realize nothing can stop me from doing this, right?” Grif opens the door to the breakroom and heads towards his bag, shrugging off the redhead’s protests but still acknowledging him. “If you don’t tell Sarge, I’ll give you a snack cake.”

Simmons looks as if he’s about to protest again but simply grumbles and shuts the door, moving to Grif’s side. He watches as Grif takes two still-wrapped snack cakes out of his bag and hands one to him. Simmons gingerly unwraps the plastic and holds the little cake in his hands.

Grif takes a bite of the snack cake and shoots a glance at Simmons. “So, even though I might not understand—and might not care, why don’t you explain why you’re worried about this guy?” 

The redhead sighs and closes his eyes momentarily. “It’s just that we have no idea what Washington can do. I mean, he pulled a _gun_ on Church and the others. He didn’t shoot them, but there’s no telling what he might do. It won’t be long before he stumbles upon someone who spills about where Church is. And then what happens? Do we leave town?”

“Blue team problems,” Grif remarks with a shrug. “Anyways, don’t worry about it.” Simmons doesn’t reply and the two fall into a sort of companionable silence.

Grif expects to be able to eat in peace with Simmons, but when can life ever go his way? Donut knocks on the door and flings it open, looking like he’s just solved a mystery. “Aha! You two thought you could sneak off and share a romantic meal! Well, misters, we have work to do!” he exclaims, pointing his finger at the two.

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Donut! We’re eating snack cakes! Nothing about this is romantic!” Simmons groans, his earlier exasperation returning.

Grif rolls his eyes and shoves the rest of his snack cake in his mouth. After swallowing, he asks incredulously, “What work is there to be done?”

“I’m taking Doc to my favorite flower shop out of town, so one of you has to take over for me! It won’t be too hard; today doesn’t look like it’ll be busy. Sarge wants the garage to be cleaned and, even though I love getting down and dirty, I have better things to do than clean!”

“You want us to clean. Fantastic.” Grif yawns, turning back to Simmons. “You like cleaning, right? So how about you go do that while I finish my early lunch break.”

Simmons sighs as Donut bounds back into the main shop. “Okay, see you later, I guess,” he says, stepping out of the break room and towards the garage. Grif watches him go, feeling just a bit lonely.

He pulls his phone from his pocket, checking it for any new messages. There’s a text from Tucker to the group chat asking if they wanted to meet up for drinks one night and a few animal pictures from Caboose. Nothing too interesting.

A sudden crashing noise from outside has him alerted back into the present. Grif can faintly hear Lopez yelling angrily and Jensen quickly apologizing. He has a good idea on what just happened.

“Sarge! Did you let Jensen drive the Warthog again?” Grif calls as he walks out of the breakroom. The jeep is up against a wall, presumably crashed there on its way out of the garage. Jensen is hurriedly getting out of the driver’s seat, looking guiltily over at Lopez.

Lopez shakes his head angrily and fumes, “¿Qué te dije? ¡Deja de conducir los autos!” [ _“What did I tell you? Stop driving the cars!”_ ]

Sarge gives the wrecked jeep a few affectionate pats. “The Warthog’s survived more than this! She’s a tough one. And don’t you worry, Lopez! Jensen and I will have ‘er fixed up in no time.”

“¿Entonces Jensen puede romperlo de nuevo?” [ _“So Jensen can break it again?”_ ] Lopez is already turning away, frustration evident in his sigh. Simmons stands to the side, a rag in one hand.

Sarge nods despite not knowing what Lopez is saying. “Good thinking, Lopez. Jensen! Think you can drive ‘er back to the work area?”

“¡Te voy a dejar idiotas!” [ _“I’m going to leave you idiots!”_ ] comes Lopez’s reply. Grif snorts and Simmons tries explaining why Sarge’s suggestion is not a good idea.

Grif takes a second to look at Jensen. Something strikes him as odd and it takes him a moment to realize why. She looks similar to Simmons; worry is etched on her face, her usual cheerful smile seems forced, and the bags under her eyes suggest that she didn’t sleep last night. He’s not exactly surprised by this. The kid lost some friends, after all. Still, it’s not great to see Jensen looking like she saw a ghost.

Simmons calls Grif over to back the Jeep up into the workspace before he retreats into one of the garage corners to clean the shelves. Jensen and Sarge step to the side, safely clearing the way. In a matter of minutes, the Jeep is back in the workshop and being repaired.

Seeing that everything has calmed down, Grif returns to the main shop and wanders around. Today might not be eventful in the term of customers, but he has a feeling that everything will get more chaotic. Call it foreshadowing or some shit. Or maybe there will just be more meaningless shenanigans.

* * *

If it isn’t obvious enough, Washington hates his job. He knows the morals are shit and he’s been screwed over so many times, but he’s still there. Part of his brain urges him to quit now to avoid any more conflict and failure. It’s a bit like having an angel and a devil on both shoulders, though that’s bullshit.

Nonetheless, Washington decides that the best choice is to see this job through and then start a new life away from everything. Hence why he’s still in the town of Chorus, looking for any sign of Alpha.

The entire afternoon of searching two days ago had proven to be fruitless, so Wash is starting to seriously doubt the simpleness of the task. He’s frustrated that he hasn’t seen any sign of Alpha or Tex. All of the research points to Alpha living here, so where is he?

Wash is curious about the three strangers he found Alpha and Tex with, but he can worry about them later. Unless one of them can lead him to Alpha, then they aren’t at the top of the importance list. 

His mind reflects on everyone he’s met so far. There’s the weird people in the mechanics shop, the man at the library, those teens running around… He has yet to meet the infamous Vanessa Kimball, though. He should probably pay her a visit soon and ask around for Alpha.

Granted, he’s only been able to actually have a conversation with a handful of the locals. He admits that it’s his fault, as he doesn’t want to talk to them at all. He doesn’t want to see the weird looks people give him when he asks for Alpha or the sinking feeling of dread that comes every time he’s turned down.

For reasons unknown to him, Washington’s mind keeps returning back to the mechanics shop. Something didn’t seem right there. That one man - what was his name? Simmons? - had seemed nervous, like he was trying to hide something. The other man at the counter sounded too cheerful, too eager to help Wash on his mission. Maybe it’s just Wash being his paranoid self, but his mind still lingers on the encounter and pushes him to do further research.

Now, Washington wants to make it clear that he is _not_ a stalker and had no intention of following people, but when the opportunity arose, he took it. Said opportunity presents itself when he once again finds himself at the mechanics shop and notices two slightly familiar people leaving. It’s the blond man who had been at the counter and the man with glasses, the one who he’s pretty sure is called Doc. 

Wash draws up the hood on his sweatshirt and turns his head to avoid detection. As he gets closer to the two, who are now walking down the sidewalk together, he can hear tiny snippets of their conversation. 

“I’m telling you, Grif never shares his food with anyone else except for Simmons! They really _are_ in love!” the blond rants, reaching out to hold hands with Doc. 

“Donut, you should let their relationship grow on their own,” Doc reminds him, and he pouts.

“Aw, but I love getting up close and personal with my friends!” Wash isn’t quite sure if Donut meant to phrase that the way he did, but he doesn’t linger on it. Instead, he silently follows the two, making sure to stay close enough to hear them.

Their conversation changes to what the two are going to do, and Wash is about to give up and accept that eavesdropping on people’s conversations isn’t the way to go. He knows he’s running out of time, as the two are apparently going to Donut’s car, so Wash begins turning away and slowing down.

He’s about to leave when he hears the clear statement. “Do you think Church would go to yoga with us one day? He’s been so stressed out lately with that Washington guy moving around! I think we should help him find healthy ways to relieve stress,” Doc says, causing Wash to stop dead in his tracks.

Church. That name floods Wash’s system with so many emotions. There’s relief at finally getting a lead, uncertainty over whether it’s actually _the_ Leonard Church Jr and not some other guy named Church who’s being looked for by Washington, and anger at the revelation that these people lied to him.

He’s not exactly surprised that Doc, Donut, and presumably all the others at that shop lied to him. They must be friends with Church and care about him, but Wash still feels a bitterness deep inside. No wonder he was suspicious of them.

He ponders following them even more, but he’s heard enough. He lets the two walk away and disappear down the street, turning around and heading back the way he came. His mind is racing and everything’s happening so fast that he feels he needs to sit down.

Wash isn’t entirely sure why he pauses in front of the mechanics shop on his walk back, but he stares into the window for a solid thirty seconds before continuing to walk. He’s formulating a plan in his already, gears clicking together to create something.

Unsurprisingly, the plan isn’t the right thing to do. Also unsurprisingly, he’s not exactly okay with that but is still going to do it. And so his life goes.

* * *

“Juice!” Junior exclaimes, reaching for the shelf stocked with orange juice from his seat on the grocery cart. 

Tucker nods and grabs a carton of juice, setting it down in the cart. “Good eye, buddy. What else do we need?” He looks around the shelves, leaning against the cart. The pantry back at home is running low, so Tucker took on the trip to the grocery store in the town of Valhalla, not too far away from Chorus. 

“Mmm… apples,” Junior decides as he swings his legs and smiles, looking up at his father. “And coffee!”

“Yeah, you know Church needs his coffee.” 

Sometimes, Tucker feels that the saying “ _Blood of the covenant is thicker than water from the womb_ ” implies directly to him and the others. They’re all knuckleheads--except for Tex--but they all take care of each other. That’s just how they all work; one big weird family. Tucker certainly hadn’t expected Tex to be good with children, though at times she can be even better than Church. 

One thing everyone in their house shares in common is that they go through food so quickly. Hence why all five of them are known by most of the grocery shop workers. It’s a shame there’s only a general shop in Chorus, though not everything can be all crammed together in one area. Caboose makes cakes almost every other week and both Tex and Church drink unusual amounts of strong caffeinated beverages.

Not to mention Tucker’s shared responsibility to buy beer. He and Grif usually cover that aspect for when they all meet up for a late night hangout, which happens at least once a month. Most of the time it’s just him, Grif, and Kai, but other times it can be everyone. 

He’s disrupted from his thoughts by a crash in the aisle next to him. A grocery store is not the ideal place to contemplate family and friends. There’s a loud exclamation from one of the people who Tucker guesses is responsible for the crash. The announcement system reports a cleanup needed in Aisle 4 and someone repeatedly apologizing can be heard clearly.

Junior turns towards the noise, his eyes wide and curious. “Mike, Ezra, we have to be more careful!” comes a faint yell, and more apologies ring out. Tucker laughs at Junior’s now confused expression as the child overhears the strangers’ conversation.

“Come on, buddy. Let’s get the rest of our stuff.” Tucker goes back to pushing the cart, turning to the next aisle. 

Once the rest of the items are acquired, Tucker finds himself waiting in line at the cash register. He looks around, waiting for the woman in front of him to finish buying her things. He doesn’t pay her much attention until she glances at him. Her eyes are the same deep green as Church’s and she has a similar vibe of anger radiating around her. Weird.

He watches as she goes before shrugging and bringing his own things up to the cashier. It’s getting pretty late and Tucker wants to be home for dinner, so he stands by quite impatiently as his groceries are loaded into bags. Once the cost is calculated, he takes his credit card out of his pocket and moves it towards the chip reader. Junior grabs a hold of his hand, stating, “I wanna do it.”

Tucker lets Junior take hold on the card and guides his hand to the chip reader. Together, they swipe the card through, Junior grinning when the transaction is complete. The cashier smiles back before finalizing the payment.

With the store routine finally over, Tucker takes the cart outside and loads the groceries up into his car. He sets Junior in the backseat and straps him in before putting the cart back.

He spots the green eyed woman once more and watches as she gets into her car and drives off. He returns to his own vehicle, one of only two his household has, and gets into the driver's seat. Maybe Tucker would ask Church if he has any sisters-

Oh. Right. Church’s sister is probably dead. He probably shouldn’t bring that up. Besides, there’s a lot of people who have green eyes. He’s sure there’s no correlation between that woman and Church.

And with that, he drives home.

* * *

Stassney lets out a sigh as he once again checks his phone for the time. It’s 10:32 pm. Two minutes from when he last checked. The night seems to be dragging on as slowly as possible.

Ever since being told he would have to take the night shift at the gas station today, Stassney’s been complaining about how slow everything seems. The lack of customers doesn’t help.

He taps his fingers against the counter, his gaze sweeping over the shelves stocked full with various snacks and supplies. The whole place isn’t very big, and Stassney has a clear view of the gas pumps through the window.

There’s a few cars loading up with gas outside, but still no one comes inside. As the last car pulls out into the street, Stassney figures that the rest of the night will be empty. The only nearby town is Chorus, and even if someone was on a road trip, they probably wouldn't stop here thanks to the high prices. Damn those high prices.

He’s more than a bit surprised when, over an hour later, the door opens with a chime. Stass hadn’t seen anyone approaching the station and there is no car outside. However, this newcomer waltzes into the store like nothing is amiss.

The man has brown hair shaved on the sides and slicked back on the top. When he smiles, the light reflects on his teeth in a way that makes Stass feel a little unnerved.

Without much pause, the man begins wandering around the small store. He peers at the shelves, his brown eyes seeming to flash in the fluorescent lights.

It feels like forever before the man finally approaches the counter, dropping a protein bar and a box of matches in front of Stassney. He leans forward, propping his elbows up on the counter.

“That’ll be seven dollars,” Stass informs him, his voice monotone from the number of times he’s said that same thing. When he makes eye contact with the man, the hairs on the back of his neck stand. It’s a little odd, but he plays it off as paranoia.

The man takes out a roll of cash from his back pocket and paws seven one-dollar bills over to Stass’s waiting hands. As Stassney begins placing the money in the cash register, the man suddenly says, “Must be tough working here alone with all those murders happening.”

Stass shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. “Eh, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Who would come after someone in a gas station?” He laughs dryly, mostly trying to reassure himself. 

“Hm. Well, stay safe.” The man takes the bar and matches before giving him a small wave. Stassney watches him go, feeling bewildered at the strange interaction.

When he looks out the windows, the man is nowhere in sight. A thick silence falls over the shop, only being interrupted by the faint buzz of the electrical lights and his own breathing.

Truth be told, Stassney _is_ very nervous about being murdered. Who wouldn’t be? Strangely, he feels even more wary after that last customer. There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach, one that can be described as dread or fear.

With nothing else to do, he leaves his place from behind the counter and examines the shelves, making sure everything is in its proper place. Another half an hour passes with nothing happening, so Stass starts scrolling through his phone.

The time says that it’s 11:58 when he’s alerted to a noise from outside. It sounds like a rock hitting the store’s windows, though he can’t see anything. His gaze sweeps over the gas pumps outside and pauses when he sees what looks like a shadowy figure standing just behind one of them.

He does a double take and blinks. In that fraction of a second, the figure disappears. Stass tries to play it off as a trick of the light and shadows. He’s very creeped out by it but doesn’t want to admit that to himself.

He keeps watching for any movement outside, his gaze alert. A sudden bang fills the air and Stassney jumps. He whips around to face the back of the shop, trying to spot the source of the noise.

Whenever faced with something unknown, the human mind tends to make up explanations to make everything seem okay. That’s exactly what Stassney’s mind is doing as he begins to creep slowly towards the back of the shop. He tells himself that it’s just the wind or a stray animal. There’s nothing to worry about.

The emergency exit and the storage rooms are in the back, so that’s where he goes. He opens the door to the back rooms slowly, peering inside. There’s nothing he can see, so he keeps moving. The glowing sign that reads “EXIT” in bright red letters hangs above the door leading outside, beckoning him to check for whatever made the noise.

The short walk to the exit door feels like it takes forever. When Stassney finally reaches it, he tentatively places his hand on the handle and turns it, moving ever-so-slowly. Building up all the courage he can, he pushes the door open and steps outside.

Nothing happens. Nothing jumps out at him from the shadow, no one suddenly emerges. He sighs in relief and sweeps his gaze around to see if he can find what caused the noise.

There’s a big rock next to the outside wall and a dent above it. Source of noise found. Stass ponders on how the rock got there and decides that he’ll do a check around the sides and front, just to make sure no one’s trying to prank him by throwing rocks.

The gas pump lights don’t reach the far sides of the station, so his vision takes a while to adjust to the darkness. He can still make out objects, though.

The air has a humid thickness about it, making it feel similar to a blanket weighing down on Stass’s shoulders. His gaze keeps flickering all around him, jumping whenever there’s a random sound from the adjacent land. Even the familiar nighttime sounds unease him.

He’s close enough to the front to make out the lights and the multiple gas pumps and is almost to them when two figures step out in front of him. He stops moving completely when he makes out what they have.

One of them Stassney recognizes to be the strange man from earlier. The other figure is taller and broader, standing next to the first, looking intimidating in the faint light. The first man has a gleaming sharp knife in his hand. The other has a pistol.

“I was wondering when you’d finally come out, Stass,” the first man states, his wide smile revealing teeth that should not be in a human mouth. Stassney’s blood runs cold and he takes a step back, sinking deeper into fear as the two men step closer. He’s not sure how this man knows his name or what he’s doing, but he’s fucking scared.

The taller man raises his gun, moving deliberately and professionally. The other does the same with his knife, a predatory look in his eyes.

Stassney screams.

* * *

Two murders isn’t enough. No, two is only the tip of this metaphorical iceberg. Felix smiles as he thinks this, his gaze flickering to the body at his feet.

The pooling blood runs into the river flowing lazily beside him, dripping down the banks. It’s the same river that Locus drowned the other kid in. He’s pretty sure this place is called Armonia Bravo or something like that, though that doesn’t matter to him.

The body has gone cold already but the blood keeps flowing, staining the riverbank grass red. A little more fear, a little more chaos. Felix can still feel the rush of excitement from the kill, slowly fading into a lingering buzz.

There’s a movement in the foliage behind him and he whips around, only to see Locus. “Remind me again why we had to bring his body all the way here,” Locus says, his voice holding no emotion. “We could have left him at the gas station where he worked. I ensured the security cameras would not see any of it.”

“Well, this place is obviously ours now! It’s our—” Felix takes a moment to think of the right word “—signature hunting ground.”

“And won’t that bring more attention to this area?”

“Is that a problem?” Felix returns his attention to the corpse, leaning down to see better. The kid can’t be older than nineteen and looks almost the same as he had in that gas station. Except instead of boredom etched into his face, there’s fear.

Locus makes no reply, turning away from his companion. Felix takes this as an invitation to roll the body closer to the river’s edge, smearing more blood across the ground. There’s a chunk of flesh missing from the corpse’s arm, revealing the white bone. Felix is responsible for that.

“Any new orders?” he asks after a moment, moving to Locus’s side.

“No. Just to keep doing what we’re doing.” 

“Alright, then. I hope Hargrove doesn’t keep us waiting too long. I want to get this completed.”

“I thought you said we could take our time. We just officially accepted the job this morning.”

Felix rolls his eyes, hating to admit his contradictions. “Alright, whatever. Let’s go to the boss man, meet some of our ‘coworkers’. If he’s talking about those shady people we saw when we first came in, my best bet is that our coworkers are a bunch of thugs.” 

Locus nods, silently agreeing. He remembers the people Felix are talking about, already being able to guess that they’re not good people. He then thinks dryly about how he and Felix will fit right in with them.

Felix speaks up again, starting, “Hey, do you think we should do something more for this? Like, I dunno, take some artistic freedoms?”

Locus narrows his eyes, about to ask what he means, before deciding that it can wait. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I’m just saying, we could do some tarot card shit,” Felix suggests, following Locus as he begins to walk. “No matter. Let’s just keep doing this and, eventually, we’ll go after the guy. And maybe mess with those kids some more. I’m sure they _loved_ those deer bones.”

Locus hums, staying quiet. He frowns at how Felix is making them sound, though he knows it’s true. Everyone thinks they’re monsters, after all. So why shouldn’t he say the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stassney I'm so sorry but I had to. I miss Stassney so much okay- Also I had fun writing Wash's part. Anyways, Stassney's experience is loosely based on the game Night Shift. Fun fun.  
> Did y'all like my Triplets cameo? Maybe there'll be a side story about them.  
> Upon prompting, I updated this before my other two stories. What can I say? The next chapter is 2/3 of the way done but I'll update my other stories before I post the next chapter.  
> So, I've got a sort of timeline for this now and yeehaw. Expect to see some backstory for Church next chapter!  
> I have a tumblr now! It's oleander-rookie. Hopefully soon I'll be posting stuff about my stories-  
> Thanks again to falsedittany for giving me ideas, LilacpawOwO for prompting me to do my work, and the crew on Basebook for letting me talk about Felix once and encouraging me!


End file.
